Mama Laffer
Mama Laffer is Larry Laffer's mysterious mother. Larry often mentions her, but she is never seen during original series. Much is said about her in expanded universe materials though. Background "Larry took three times longer than any normal kid to be born, the dirty little sucker!" his mother had often said to her sympathetic friends.TOBOLSL1E, p12 Her husband, and Larry's father left them at some time, and his mother sacrificed herself to raise and nurture her son. During the late 1970s (1977 to be precise) when Larry Laffer was still at home with his mother, Mom was on the road with her reggae band most of the time.TAULSLBC2E, pg 52 Larry attempted to his change his life, and enrolled one week membership to a health spa. His mom remained cynical about his efforts. She believed his sheen was from too much grease in his food. He let the remark pass, and the next day she left to go on tour again. His mother may have been the "Great White Hope of Reggae" to millions, but Larry always thought of her as just someone who didn't clean up after him.LSLBC, pg 55-56 Larry lived with his mother and really didn't get out much, even until well after his 38th birthday.The "old" Larry Laffer was a confirmed bachelor. At 38 years old, he still lived with his mother, and the idea of asking a woman out was, basically, terrifying.-LSL1 ManualThis is the way Leisure Suit Larry looked not so very long ago. A "confirmed bachelor," Larry lived with his mother and really didn't get out much. It wasn't until well after his 38th birthday that Larry realized that life was passing him by. After work each evening, when his married friends went home to their wives and his divorced friends went home with someone else, Larry had nowhere to go. He was restless and lonely. He found himself staring at girls again, and reading cartoon ads with titles like "The Insult that Made a Man out of Stan." He dreamed of being a rock star (like Barry Manilow or Christopher Cross) and being mauled by chicks who just couldn't keep their hands off of him. Larry's mother didn't know what to do. She had watched Larry through his birth, his childhood, his adulthood, and his second childhood. Now Larry had reached what could only be called a "second puberty." He walked around in a daze, spent hours in his room with the door closed and the stereo blaring. He hid National Geographics under his bed, in his bookcase and everywhere. So Mom did the only just and noble thing ... She kicked Larry out of the house and bought herself a singles condo in South Florida. This is the way Larry looked just one month after his mother threw him out of the house. Notice the crisp white leisure suit, the genuine gold-lacquered chains, the "steppin' out" elevator shoes and the " Saturday Night Fever" bouffant haircut. Let there be no doubt, with all the changes Larry went through, he was still a jerk. But now, he even looked the part. A trip to Lost Wages was the turning point for Larry. He arrived in the city looking for "action." His assault on the city started at Lefty's Lounge, a combination cocktail lounge/brothel. He delighted the disco dames with a 360-degree move that has to be seen to be believed. And, quite by accident, he found out what it was like to find a perfectly wonderful woman worthy of more than just a one-night stand. It was a jolting experience for Larry, and forever changed his views on what he wanted from a woman. T his is the way Leisure Suit Larry looks today. He's a little older, a little wiser, and a little more eager to settle down. Amazingly enough though, after all that has happened, Larry is still a jerk. However, there's still time for Larry to change. He can't be a jerk forever ... (Or can he???)LBC, pg 52 His mother always fixed her son, the same type of lunch. Two sandwiches, an apple or banana (but never both), and a small cup of pudding (alternating between chocolate and vanilla). Thursdays were Larry's favorite because she fixed him deviled ham on that day and, perhaps, this was a minor indication of Larry's later blossoming.TOBOLSL1E, pg 4 Mama Laffer's cooking was bad and Larry hated it. She had a habit of losing bobby pins in the gravy which apparently nearly choked Larry a few timesNarrator (LSL2):"You now remember what it was you hated about Mama Laffer's cooking... "She had a habit of losing her bobby pins in the gravy," you think, while you frantically make the universal sign for choking." Larry's mom was the first and, alas, the only one to notice the change in him. She just did not know what to do about it, though. Larry had never been an easy child anyway. She had given birth to him, nurtured him through his childhood, into adulthood, and now into what was evidently his second childhood. Or maybe "second puberty" would be more accurate. All she knew for sure was that Larry was moping around like a moonstruck calf-lying in his room with the door closed and the stereo blaring that God-awful seventies music. Why couldn't he be into heavy metal like any other decent kid (like she was)? That and the fact that she kept finding magazines like National Geographic under his bed (the ones with the topless native girls at least) was all very perplexing. It was frustrating for Larry's mom. She'd had just about enough of him anyway. After all these sacrifices, what with his dad leaving all those years ago, the time had come for her to live a little. She could still swing, by golly. His performance had dropped off so dramatically of late that the company where he worked could no longer justify his employment. So, by tragic coincidence, Larry had been fired from his job the very same day he moped his way home to find the house had been sold and a note from his mom. The note brusquely wished him luck and explained that she had bought herself a singles condo down in South Florida. "Gonna shake my booties while they can still shake," she concluded. There was no address given. He found her gone, and only the Realty Agent was left: Eve Williams waiting for him to pack up his things and leave. TOBOLSL1E, pg 8, 9 She kicked Larry out of his house when he was 38. She went on to live at a retirement community in Florida. She would later try to hit her son up for a loan after he started working for SierraTOBOLSL1E, pg 87 "Al Lowe: Tell me about your mother. Larry: She threw me out of the house. Al Lowe: That's it? Larry: Ain't that enough? Old broad's living in some swinging singles condo down in south Florida now. Hit me up for a loan the other day. " His mother had not only run away from home, she had sold that home right out from under him! ... There wasn't that much left really. His mother had already hocked the valuable stuff like the stereo and his computer.TOBOFLSL1E, pg9 Reloaded Universe Personality and traits Sparkling clothes, tight, old face with heavy make-up and too much eye-shading and lipstick.LarryCasino, description "Larry's mother COMMENT: Sparkling clothes, tight, old face with heavy make-up and too much eye-shading and lipstick." Titles *Mama Laffer *Larry's Mother *Larry's Mom *Mommy *Mother *Mom *Ma *Old Lady References *"Didn't your Mother tell you that doing that would make you go blind?" (LSL1AGI) *"Good idea, you properly dispose of your "lubber." You're mother would be proud." (LSL1VGA) *"Oh please no. She just can't stop talking... "When will you be married? I want grand children..." (LFSM/LSL4) *"And to think you used to laugh at your Mother when she would talk to herself!" (LSL5) *"You remember your Mother advising you to keep your money in your shoe, but let's try to cut the umbilical cord SOMEtime, Larry!" (LSL5) *"Your Mother Warned You! Possessing absolutely no self-control, you refuse to stop before you go blind!" (LSL6) *"While you don't need to return the plants to where you found them, you feel sure your mother would be proud of you!" (LSL6) *"Shablee is one beautiful human being! Perky, cute as a bug, a sharp dresser, lovely hair, perfect make-up... she's the girl you always wanted to take home to Mother. Too bad Mother moved without leaving a forwarding address." (LSL6) *" Very efficient. But... impractical! Your mother taught you to wash your hands AFTER you went to the toilet... not DURING!" (LSL6) *"You especially enjoy the fuzzy, flocked wallpaper. It's not as cool as that lush red and gold flock in your bedroom back at Mom's, but it's close." (LSL6) *"Nice outfit! When you are going to stop having your Mommy pick out your clothes? Oh, she doesn't pick out my clothes any more." (LSL6) *"Ooohhh, the processed potted meat food product that tastes "as fresh as home-slaughtered." Just like Mom used to butcher." (LSL7) *"My grandfather was really something. My mother says I'm a lot like him." (Hoyle 1) *"Look Ma, I'm a king! And she always said I'd never amount to anything." (Hoyle 3) *"Can I borrow a dime? I want to call my Mom and tell her I just met the moose of my dreams!" (LSLR) *"Is This Something To Be Proud of? Congratulations! You found every possible way to die in this game. Every last one. What would your Mom say?" *You bend down to reach for Bear, then you remember the old rule your mother taught you: Once you turn 60, never trust a fart! Then you also remember some piece of advice she gave you about never going near a strange dog. (LSLR) *Didn't your mother ever teach you not to go out in the rain without wearing your lubbers? The lady upstairs is a human petri dish! *Larry, didn't your mother ever warn you about going into dark alleys? *Didn't your mother ever tell you not to try to inflate your bladder with helium? *You won't get anywhere if you just stand there playing with that thing! (Your mother must've told you that a thousand times!) *Oh, very nice. You click on your mother with that mouth? *Talking to that accomplishes nothing. But it's still more productive than talking to your mother. *It tastes like those drops my Mom used to give me! Behind the scenes Larry's mother has a voiceover during one of the narrations in LSL: Reloaded. Quite a bit of the Narrative in LSLR makes reference to Larry's mother and his life living with her. A few of the jokes suggest that Larry's and estranged father was Al Lowe, however as they are about the same age, this is unlikely (without time travel involved in some sort). No one has verified if he ever got with Mrs. Laffer. Her actual husband maybe Lawrence, however there is also one Bartholomew Laffer (who is said to be his father as well). Apparently Mrs. Laffer gets around. Larry's Mom was to appear in LarryCasino as one of the character's Larry would encounter in the online gambling game. She was in one of higher levels that wasn't released before the game closed its doors. She was part of level 17 Beauty Salon. Larry apparently has a brother (or possibly sister). But he seems to be gone out of the house long before Larry was kicked out of the house. This likely means his brother was older, or he lived with Larry's father instead. They might have only been half-brothers (or half-sister). Larry's nephew Larry Lovage had to have originated from this line. References Category:Characters (LSL1AGI) Category:Characters (LSL1SCI) Category:Characters (LSL4) Category:Characters (Hoyle I) Category:Larry's family Category:Characters (LSLR) Category:Characters (LarryCasino) Category:Characters (TOBOLSL)